Sad day for Downtown Cincinnati
This article was in today's Cincinnati Post.
The Maisonette, America's longest-running five-star restaurant and a downtown Cincinnati institution for more than a half century, closed today as its owners decided to refocus their attention on a planned relocation to Sycamore Township.
Although third-generation owner Nat Comisar had hoped to keep the classic French restaurant open at its current Sixth Street location until the new location opens in the fall of 2006, he said today that operating one five-star restaurant while planning another proved problematic.
"We came to the difficult business decision that continued operation downtown would not be feasible," Comisar said. "Our efforts now focus on the relocation."
La Normandie, the Maisonette's sister restaurant, located in the basement of its downtown site, also closed today.
The new Maisonette is scheduled to open in the fall of 2006 on Montgomery Road, about a quarter mile south of Kenwood Town Centre.
"Today is a sad day for our employees and our families," Comisar said. "While we remain optimistic about the future, we have to be realistic about the present." One of only about a dozen Mobile Five Star restaurants in the country, the Maisonette won the prestigious award an unprecedented 41 consecutive years.
In recent years, Comisar unsuccessfully tried to convince Cincinnati City Hall to offer incentives that would make it easier for the Maisonette, located downtown for 56 years, to survive in an inner city that seems to be losing the battle with the suburbs for high-end retail and entertainment attractions.
Yes it is sad.
We have been losing population that would support this type of restaurant since the sixties. I wish I had a chart to show what has happened o this city in the last five years. The downhill trend has had a free fall.
City Hall has outdid itself in the area of incompetence. It's almost unbelievable. I have never seen it so bad.
While I am against subsidies, sometimes you have to pay for something you don't want. I used to take customers to the Maisonette and it wasn't because I liked the food or the service or the prices; it was good business.
This city has programs to help poorer people rehap, buy, finance, etc. homes and developers are given bridge financing and grants because the numbers won't work. But in the case of a five star restaurant that we can be proud of having, these city hall clowns can't see any benefit in have such a restaurant downtown.
Posted by
The Sour Kraut |
9:52 PM
Sour Kraut
Here's a visual link to Cincinnati's (near) future:
http://detroityes.com/home.htm
Posted by
Anonymous |
10:39 PM
When the government did away with business lunch write offs it lead to the Maisonette’s unhappy destiny of death and ruin. The government, and the ghost of old man Radabaugh is the cause of Nat Comisar’s misfortune. Mr. Radabaugh didn’t allow eating and drinking in the living room.
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